People often say that in the fashion business the connections you make through work and school can be really helpful in the future, especially if you make a good impression. Well, that is definitely true! Back when I was interning for the fashion stylist Jene Luciani I really gave my best and it has definitely paid off this semester.
When I was looking for a retail internship I wanted one that would be close to where I live and fit my schedule. So I took a chance and asked Jene if she could help me out. As fast as I hit the "send" button on an email to her, she emailed me back with a nice reference and copied me on an email to her friends who owned stores in the area.
In a matter of weeks I was walking into the jewelry store Desires by Mikolay. I interviewed with the owner and left with an internship position in hand. So great! The interview went very smoothly. I was able to talk about my previous experiences with confidence. All the preparation I did at LIM College during my pre-internship class (Industry Exploration Seminar) really came back to me when I needed it most.
I was extremely thankful to have a position in retail even though I was not crazy about the field. So far this experience has been pretty fun. I greet and talk to clients and help the other sales assistants when the store is busy. I deal with inventory and use their internal system. I've also learned things I didn’t even imagine ever doing. For example, cleaning jewelry, which is such a simple process but makes the piece look so much shinier afterwards. (I was able to clean my own pieces too, which was a big plus.) I've also had a chance to do some visual merchandising (my major!) with jewelry and accessories displays. Now I'm excited to see what else this opportunity has in store for me.